Africa has always had what other nations wanted, couldn’t do without and never wanted to pay for. It is patronising to the point of being libelous to refer to Africa as poor when many Africans are prevented from benefiting from the wealth within their lands by the people who exploit them and call them poor! What a paradox! Africa has known how to mine and process metals for thousand of years and has had great kingdoms and civilisations for millenia while Eurpoe was in a culturally torpid slumber.

If African Leaders are corrupt today,it is only because their colonial masters taught them well,serving as the ultimate paradigm of corruption and malevolence.

This article and its author sneers at Africa as if the continent were a wretched vagrant bereft of any moral or social compunction and beyond the grace of God.

The incursion of China into Africa is unsurprising and is a bullish display of neo-imperialism.Africa has bcome a multiple rape victim that has forgotten her worth; and in the eyes of the rapists, she was worthless anyway save for her ample charms which are now beginning to fade with each successive violation.

Since European incursions, Africa has never been free. The fetters and chains of chattel slavery have been replaced with the invisible but more brutal chains of Structural Adjustment Programs imposed by the IMF and World Bank which have disastrous effects on health care, education, housing and local business. Africans are as much slaves today as they were 400 years ago. Other countries will continue to rape Africa and continue to pour their empty moral values into Africa until we have a continent that has been assimilated and integrated to the point of cultural annihilation.

Africans are the change to be seen on the continent,but the only way this will happen is through Pan Africanism. Balkanistion within the continent has a lot to answer for in creating african countries built purely for controlling interests and not for the galvanisation of a people. Africans need to wake up and rise up! Otherwise we will be told to put up and shut up in Mandarin and Chinese.

China’s government used the profits generated from “Western corporate greed for cheap labor” to invest in China’s education, infrastructure, and now expansion. Basic economics states that if demand increases than price of labor also increases; however, China’s labor costs are still extremely low even though the country has developed substantially. So, perhaps the Chinese government is still using the revenue from artificially fixed cheap labor for its growth and expansion. Most likely China does not have an altruistic motive to develop African nations. Their motive is to develop their own country. Hence, they bring their own workers to Africa for projects.

If African countries secure the legal rights to their resources and use the profits generated for African investment, then African economic growth can happen.

Also, most African countries do not realize the value of their natural resources and the true price that they could command. Instead they are sold so cheaply. This must change.

Only Africa will save Africa!!! The Arabs failed, The Americans failed, The British failed…. really, they never failed, it was just never their intention to be good, and really before the first imperialists stepped onto the dark continent, we were just doing fine. Africa needs to revisit its vision and alliances. Otherwise, we are doomed. This is just another case of history repeating itself.

Instead of painting over everything with one broad stroke out of disdain for what the West had done to the Africans, and understandably so; Africans should take full advantage of the Chinese interest and presence in Africa. Remember this is an old country that has experienced many an up-and-downs including colonial exploitation and indignities but this time around, China resurrected herself against global sanctions and containment led by the leading nations of the West who had subjected her to humiliating discretions.

That journey in itself should be an example to all Africans. No matter how well Africans do in the West, including the African Americans, Africans will not gain due respect until an African nation achieves prominence if not dominance on her own.

The modern African history is the most heart wrenching one to study because of the last few hundred years of desecration, genocide, exploitation and indignation by colonial designs or otherwise. I am surprised to see the comparisons between the lesser of two evils and the known and unknown enemies between China and the West with China being the more evil one and an unknown enemy.

Has the Stockholm or Uncle Sam syndrome finally taken up roots in Africa now?

As Satchu pointed out there were plenty of old Chinese artifacts in African museums and it all came out of a trade environment, not a colonial rule one. I am often reminded that the British and other colonial rulers brought civility and refinement to their colonial subjects, you look around Africa nowadays, there is not much evidence of that, is there? The known enemy and evil simply spread a façade of things based on their values with no substantial foundation thus resulting in the now seemingly common apprehension and paranoia towards anyone who come a calling with an offer.

How well do the Africans know what is really good for them in the long run? And what are the best options to take in the near term?

China boldly and bravely faced her demise and rose from the ashes to become the largest debt holder of her main obstacle, the USA in less than 30 years. China dealt with the USSR, USA, the UN and global sanctions and worked her way through those very treacherous waters. Africa has the land mass, the raw material, the man power and the history to bank on, if there is any partner to go hand in hand with, it would be China. You don’t think the Chinese were paranoid and snake bitten? That they have not been the bird in the cage? They are coming in with know how and vast nation building experiences as an old country, not some modernity wonder who appeared on the horizon a mere 200 years ago.

One hand washes the other; China will be a lot more in tune with impending dangers than anyone and that is one characteristic any partner worth their weight in gold should possess. Stop the paranoid and being the scared cat.

BRIC still has no African country in it and that is really what should be the main goal for Africa. Use the Chinese interests to your adavantage as the Chinese did with the West to build your nations. And please stop the whinning about human rights until Africa can well afford her own.

I go to some University in North America where Chinese are almost the majority(Toronto), but they are almost in-existent socially. The Chinese are quite insensitive, this is not a good thing socially. A Chinese is not “racist” but will not want anything to do with Africans in the first place.For instance, after two years in the same team, a Chinese will asks you what your name ‘was?’! These days, like Lebon implied, you can easily get along with Europeans and Americans. These doesn’t happen with the Chinese! I feel like they still hold far nasty stereotypes about Africans, as in, a Chinese will always take the nearest route on meeting an African on a lonely street. These are factors that influence the transfer of culture. Arabs did not behave like that or they will not have succeeded like they did.

Another reason is English in Africa, considering the role of a language in establishing culture. I don’t see either Mandarin or Cantonese overtaking English in Africa soon.

I find African-Americans as part of the American influence amongst the African youth. people copy people whom they identify with. Besides trade, Chinese will always have themselves for themselves.

Africans should not bank on this relationship as the all-in-all. What happens if the Chinese bubble bursts?
Most african-chinese cakes would remain half-baked – a risk too ugly for either parties.

Eventually, china’s edge on manufacturing/exporting(their source of growth) will disppear to cheaper places e.g. Vietnam and eventually Africa. Thus they are preparing to own the african companies that will eventually take their place.

If you are African this is a time to build relationship with both the West and East to take advantage of this future benefit.

Solonzo The Great.